Child restraint systems are commonly used to conveniently and safely seat and transport infants and small children. Many states require that children below a certain age and/or weight be placed within a child safety seat when riding in an automobile and the use of restraint systems in these child safety seats can further protect children in the event of an incident (e.g., accident, sudden deceleration and/or sudden acceleration).
Such restraint systems typically include a child safety seat that includes a seat shell and a harness system (e.g., one or more safety belts) to secure the infant or child in the seat shell of the child safety seat. A child can be positioned within the seat shell and then the harness system can be coupled together and tightened to fit the size and shape of the particular child. Portions of the harness system can run along one or both of the back side and the bottom side of the seat shell. When the harness system is tightened, these portions of the harness system that run along the back and/or bottom sides of the seat shell can experience a higher than desired level of friction due to these portions of the harness system rubbing along the back and/or bottom sides of the seat shell. This increased level of friction on the harness system can make it difficult to tighten the harness system around the child. In certain situations, this can result in the harness system being left too loose around the child and reducing the effectiveness of the harness system during an incident. In other situations, excess force may be applied to a tightening strap of the harness system to try and overcome the increased level of friction. This can result in the harness system being tightened too much on the child, which can also increase the risk of injury to the infant or child.